1. The Field of the Invention
The present invention is generally related to an apparatus for conveying, mixing, and dispensing fluid mixtures. More particularly, the present invention is related to a soft drink mixing and dispensing apparatus which can be placed on the end of a conventional grocery store aisle without requiring specialized plumbing and electrical connections.
2. The Background of the Invention
Soft drinks and related products have recently achieved a very high degree of popularity. Sales of soft drinks and related products have driven the growth of some of the largest and fastest growing corporations in the United States and worldwide. The soft drink industry has become a massive business. One of the problems with the sales and marketing of soft drinks is, however, that they are relatively expensive. Consumer demand would likely expand even further if the cost of soft drinks and related products could be kept lower.
Some of the reasons for the high cost of soft drinks are unrelated to the actual cost of the ingredients to make the drink. For example, soft drink containers are relatively expensive when compared with the cost of the finished product. Expensive metal cans or plastic containers are presently widely used to dispense soft drinks. At the same time, the price of metal, such as aluminum, is high. Plastic soft drink containers are also expensive when compared to the cost of the actual soft drink contained within the container. While some soft drink containers are recyclable, notably aluminum cans, most soft drink containers are not, in practice, recycled. For example, it is unusual to recycle plastic bottles.
A further factor in increasing the cost of soft drinks is expensive bottling techniques. While soft drink bottling is highly automated, the cost of the automated equipment is high. At the same time, significant labor is involved in both soft drink bottling and distributing the filled bottles. Thus, labor and equipment costs add significantly to the cost of the soft drink.
As a result of the factors discussed above, the actual soft drink purchased in a grocery store or other retail outlet may represent a relatively minor portion of the cost of the finished product. A significant portion of the cost is represented by the cost of the soft drink container and the labor and equipment costs in manufacturing the drink, filling the containers, and distributing the filled containers.
The same may be said for other types of food items and consumer products. For example, cleaning products, especially liquid cleaners, are dispensed in relatively expensive containers, with labor and equipment costs representing another large portion of the cost of the product. The costs of other products, such as peanut butter, shampoos, salad dressings, cooking oils and the like are also heavily impacted by the factors discussed above.
Thus, it would be an economic advantage to the consumer, the manufacturer, and the retail outlet alike to reduce the cost of these types of items. Reduction in cost would very likely increase the volume of products sold by the retail outlet, increasing profits for both the retailer and the manufacturer. At the same time, the lower cost would be an obvious benefit to the consumer.
Two ways that cost could be controlled would be through the reuse of reusable containers and through reducing the cost of equipment and labor in filling those containers. Specifically, it would be beneficial to provide the consumer with a reusable container which the consumer could himself refill at the retail outlet.
In the past, however, it has been difficult to provide the necessary equipment for refilling containers at a retail outlet. This is particularly true in the case of goods such as soft drinks that require the mixing of two or more components for the formation of the final product.
One of the major limitations on such equipment is that of size. Square footage within a retail outlet is at a premium. Equipment and display cases placed within a retail outlet must be of optimum size. In order to dispense a large volume of soft drinks, however, conventional equipment is too large to justify its use. In order to justify use in a grocery store setting, equipment must be configured such that it fits within the conventional aisle configuration of the store.
It is found that equipment that is more than approximately 4 feet wide is generally too large to fit in a conventional space. Such a piece of equipment would hurt the flow of customer traffic through the store and would take up valuable footage, and may cause a safety hazard which would be unacceptable in a retail outlet. Accordingly, most soft drink mixing and dispensing apparatus which have the capacity to dispense large volumes of soft drink is not adaptable to fit within a conventional grocery store space.
An additional problem arises when it is necessary to mix various components of the product dispensed. For example, with respect to soft drinks it is necessary to mix carbonated water with a flavoring. There is a need, therefore, for a source of each component, and each component must be properly pumped, treated, and mixed. This presents complex problems when attempting to install a dispensing machine within a conventional grocery store space.
One particular problem is with respect to carbonated water. Carbonated water degenerates rapidly. If it is necessary to pipe carbonated water to the site of dispensing the soft drink it is necessary to use special equipment that maintains the carbonation within the liquid. Alternatively, tanks of carbonated water may be used. However, these are expensive, must be replaced regularly, and take up a large amount of space. The use of these tanks is not generally preferred when it is necessary to dispense large volumes of soft drinks.
One type of conventional apparatus comprises a rack holding several different tanks. Each tank is placed in fluid communication with a dispensing outlet. It will be appreciated, however, that the tanks take up a large amount of space which is at a premium in a grocery store. At the same time, the contents of the tanks must be replaced regularly in order to maintain a supply of the material dispensed. This can be a time consuming and labor intensive task.
Other devices dispense liquids which flow from a remote source. For example, carbonated water and flavorings are both pumped in from remote sources. As mentioned above however, in order to maintain the carbonation in the liquid it is necessary to employ expensive specialized equipment.
An additional problem in all devices of this type is maintaining the components of the soft drink (or other product) at a desirable temperature. It is generally necessary to have a cooling apparatus to prevent excess heating of the product. Some devices attempt to cool the components of the product at a remote storage location and then transport the cooled liquid. With this system significant heating of the liquid occurs during transportation from the remote location to the dispenser, defeating the previous cooling.
The pumping of syrups, flavorings and related components from a remote location has additional disadvantages. For example, when it is necessary to clean the apparatus, a large quantity of the valuable syrup, flavoring, or other component must be removed from the lines and discarded. The cost of cleaning the apparatus can make the apparatus very expensive in operation.
An additional problem is the necessity of specialized drains, plumbing fixtures and electrical outlets in order to operate the equipment. If the apparatus produces waste material, the waste material is generally disposed of down a drain. This requires that the apparatus be installed at a location where a drain is available. If a drain is not already in place, one must be installed.
The same is true with respect to a water supply. Many devices of this type require a significant volume of water close to the device. Thus, if such a source is not immediately available, one must be installed. Such limitations may effectively prevent an apparatus from being positioned at certain locations in a store.
It would, therefore, be a significant advancement in the art to provide an apparatus which was capable of mixing and dispensing fluids which overcame the problems set forth above. In particular, it would be an advancement in the art to provide such a mixing and dispensing apparatus which was transportable and could be located at virtually any location within a retail outlet, without modifying the plumbing or electrical system of the building. It would also be a significant advancement in the art to provide an apparatus which was capable of being installed at the end of a conventional grocery store aisle without blocking the aisle.
It would be another advancement in the art to provide a soft drink dispensing apparatus which had on-site cooling and carbonation capabilities. It would be a related advancement in the art to provide an apparatus which also contained sources of the other items necessary to mix soft drinks or the like, such as syrups. It would also be an advancement in the art to provide an apparatus which was capable of disposing of fluid waste products without the necessity of a floor drain. Another advancement in the art would be to provide such an apparatus which was able to control heat by having the heat producing equipment in the upper section of the apparatus so that heat is vented out the top of the apparatus.
Such an apparatus is disclosed and claimed herein.